Carrier-delivery means for use in conveyer systems



Dec. 16, 1924. 1,519,994

A. KOENIG CARRIER DELIVERY MEANS F0 1! USE I CGNVEYER SYSTEMS Original Filedldarch' a, 1921 ooocxgoo oooqpoo Q Patented Dec. "M5,

UNl'li) AUGUST KOENIG, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSON COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

CARRIER-DELIVERY IJIEANS FOR USE IN CONVEYEB, SYSTEMS.

Original application filed March 8, 1921, Serial No. 450,552. Divided and this application filed January To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUoUsT KoENio, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Lowell, in the county of MiddleseX and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Carrier-Delivery Means for Use in Oonveyer Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to carrier despatch systems, and more particularly to means useful in such systems for diverting carriers, and especially carriers arriving at a central station, from their normal course of movement, this application being a division of myapplication Serial No. 450,552, filed March 8, 1921. While the present invention is applicable to such systems generally, the embodiment selected for illustration herein has been designed with particular reference to its application to apparatus such as disclosed in the patent to Whittier, No. 1,365,428, January 11, 1921.

In the patented device the carriers arriving at the central station are moved in a path extending longitudinally of a desk having operators stations at its side and car riers are diverted from their normal path of movement and delivered at the several operators stations as required by means of manually operated gates or switch devices which deflect the carriers into inclined chutes diverging laterally from the path of the carriers and extending to points adjacent to the corresponding operators stations.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved gate or switch device useful in carrier despatch systems of the general type above referred to for diverting carriers from their normal path of movement together with simple and effective means for retaining the gate or switch deice in adjusted position at both limits of its movement. A further object is to provide a chute of improved form for cooperation with the gate or switch device of such construction as to facilitate application of the improved gate to existing despatch systems and of a type adapted advantageously to cooperate with the gate in diverting carriers laterally from their normal path.

A preferred embodiment of means for carrying the above objects into effect is illus- Selial No. 613,371.

trated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the cashiers side of a central station desk, illustrating the devices of the present invention as applied thereto:

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical cross sec tion of that portion of the desk illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal cross section to larger scale, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2, and illustrating the means for retaining the carrier diverting gate or switch in adjusted position.

The central station apparatus shown is such as is disclosed in the said patent to lVhittier 1,865,428, January 11, 1921, above referred to. In the present drawings the in coming tubes are shown as having divided terminal portions forming the series 1, 1*, for the delivery of carriers for cash and charge authorization slips respectively. These tubes preferably terminate in momentum absorbing devices of usual form such as are shown at 3. Outgoing tubes 2 may be arranged in one or more banks at the end of the series of incoming tubes as in the said patented apparatus.

The carriers received in the respective tubes in series 1 are delivered upon a longitudinally arranged endless belt 4. This belt 4 may be mounted upon rollers, as 5, to one or more of which motion is imparted by means of a belt 6, driven by an electric or other motor, not shown. Preferably the belt 4 is arranged within a longitudinal channel or trough 8 formed by the opposite walls 9, 10, of the desk-like structure upon the opposite sides of which the attendants stations are disposed. As illustrated in Fig. 2. the desk structure upon the cashiers side of the desk may comprise the shelf-like member 11, it being understood that a generally similar shelf-like member is arranged at the opposite side of the desk. In Fig. 1 attendants stations are indicated at 13, 13 Upon the opposite side of the desk the terminals of the tubes 1 may deliver their carriers upon a traveling belt such as 15 mounted upon rollers 16 and which may be driven in any suitable manner.

At points intermediate the several attendants stations, the Wall 10 of the channel 8 is constricted as indicated at 3'7.

ment with the ball 38.

provided with openings such as 18 from which lead inclined preferably tapering chutes 20. These chutes 20 comprise the side walls 21 and 22 defining a channel for guiding the descending carriers. At the receiving end of the chute, its wall 21 is curved outwardly through substantially a quadrant of are, as indicated at 2st to provide a liaring entrance to the chute at 2st, and terminates at 25 in a flange substantially parallel with the wall 10 to which it may be secured by screws or in any other suitable manner. Anoutstanding flange 26 is provided at the end 01 the wall 22 of the chute and may also be secured to the wall 10 in any desired manner. The lower end of the chute 20 is supported upon the desk member 11.

F or diverting carriers from belt a .into the chutes 20 and for closing the openings at the receiving ends of the latter at will, pivotally supported gate members 28 are provided. Each such gate member is pivoted or hinged to turn about a substantially vertical axis adjacent to the end of the wall 22 o'l a chute. These gates as herein shown are provided with concave front walls 30 and convex rear walls 31 and thus present smoothly curved surfaces for contact with the moving carriers whether in open or closed position. A buller member 32 is secured to the curved portion 24: ot the wall 21. This butler is formed of felt or other suitable material for cushioning the impact of the free edge of the gate member when the latter is brought to closed position. A handle 34 is fixedly secured to the gate member adjacent to the axis thereof whereby the gate may readily be moved from open to closed position by the operator without necessitating her arising troni her seat, and suitable latch means are provided for holding the gate open or closed.

To this end, the pivotal edge of the gate is provided with a substantially radial socket opening in which is suitably mounted a sleeve 36 the outer end. of which is somewhat This constricted end serves to retain a latch member formed as a ball 38 seated within the sleeve and resting upon a coil spring within the sleeve. Projectingrearwardly from the flange 26 ot the chute is a boss 4-0 having secured thereto a hardened wear-plate 41.

This wear-plate presents oppositely inclined surfaces 42, 4,3, for wiping engage- As thus arranged, the ball and spring in cooperation with the wear-plate serve as resilient means for holding the gate in either open or closed position. ,The chutes 2O deliver the carriers endon toward the edge board of the desk.

The described construction adapts the chutes and their gates to be associated to form. complete assemblies, which for example, and preferably. may be made from metal and adapted to be applied anywhere along a conveyer installation, whether old or new, merely by attaching'the flanges 25 and 26 at the opposite sides of the delivery openmg.

Mounted upon the desk top 11 and in substantial alignment with each of the chutes 20 are carrier controllers comprising the receiving members at provided with movable deflector elements l5 by means of which carriers delivered onto the receiving members 4:4: may at will be diverted therefrom to the right or vlett, all as fully disclosed in the aforesaid application of which this forms a division. the construction and operation'ot this device forming no part of the invention herein claimed.

As will be noted from inspection of Fig. 1, the several chutes 20 may deliver the carriers endwise at substantially right angles to the path of movement of the carriers traveling along upon the belt 4;. In the orderly operation oi? the device all carriers arriving through the tubes 1 are deposited upon the belt a and are thus moved to the right in a substantially straight path extending longitudinally of the cashiers desk. It all of the gate members 28, corresponding to the several attendants stations are open carriers arriving through groups of tubes 1 intermediate such opened gates will be diverted by the gate to the right of such group into the corresponding chute and will thus be delivered at the right-hand side of the operator at the corresponding station. Si1nilarly, it any gate be closed. carriers arriving through tubes 1 ot the group to the lett of such gate will pass the closed gate and move on until intercepted by the next open gate to the right where they will be diverted into the corresponding chute. i

The gates orswitcli devices are of: such shape that they deflect the carriers from theirnormal path without substantial shock or tendency to throw them up over the sides of the chute and when closed present a. smooth surclogging or jamming of carriers at the,en-

I face to passing carriers which prevents any trances to the chutes. The holding device is of simple character and automatic in action permitting the opening and closing of the gate withoutmanipulation o't' latches or othor independent retaining elements and at the same time effectively holds the gate in adjusted position. 7

I claim:

1. In combination in a' carrier despatch system comprising a trough having spaced side walls and in which carriers are caused to move, one of said side walls having an opening therein, a chute having flange members for attachment to said side wall or" the trough at opposite edges of the opening, and a gate hinged to the :chute adjacent to its receiving end.

2. In combination in a carrier despatch system, means for conveying carriers in a predetermined path, a chute extending at an angle to said path, and a gate member hingedly supported upon the chute adjacent to its receiving end and constructed and arranged to stand across the open end of the chute or across the path of the carriers re spectively, said gate, when in either nosition presenting a curved face for engagement by the moving carriers.

In a carrier despatch apparatus, a discharge chute comprising spaced side walls, one side wall adjacent to the receiving end of the chute being outwardly curved though substantially a quadrant of arc, and a curved gate member pivotally secured to the chute adjacent to the end of the opposite wall, said gate member when open in conjunction with the curved portion of the opposite side wall constituting a flaring entrance to said chute, and defining a continuation of the wall to which it is pivoted.

4. In carrier despatch apparatus, means for deflecting and delivering carriers comprising a chute having pivoted thereon a deflecting gate, means whereby the chute and gate may be held in cooperative relation to a conveyor for carriers, and spring actuated latch means mounted on the assembled structure for holding the gate in open or closed position.

5. Carrier controlling means for a carrier despatch system having in combination means for conveying a stream of carriers and a delivery chute extending at an angle to said stream, a carrier controller comprising a curved gate member pivotally supported upon the chute adjacent to its receiving end, an automatically acting latch for alternatively retaining said gate member across or out of said stream as desired, and a handle secured to the gate at a point adj acent to the pivotal axis thereof for swinging the gate from one position to the other.

6. In carrier despatch apparatus, a chute having a pivoted gate, and means for holding the gate open or closed comprising a spring-pressed ball mounted on one of the parts and a cam-shaped wear-plate on the other part adapted to receive the thrust of the ball in the respective positions of the gate.

7 In a carrier despatch apparatus, a chute having a pivoted gate at its entrance, and means for holding the gate in open or closed position comprising a spring pressed element mounted in a socket in the gate adjacent to the pivotal axis thereof, and a Wear-plate carried by the chute comprising oppositely inclined contact surfaces for alternative engagement by the spring-pressed element.

8. In a carrier despatch apparatus, a chute having spaced side walls terminating in attaching flanges at its entrance, a gate pivoted to turn about an axis adjacent to the intersection of one of said walls with its attaching flange, a spring pressed ball seated in a socket in the gate, said socket extending substantially radially of the axis of turning of the gate, a wear-plate carried by the chute comprising oppositely inclined faces for alternative engagement by the spring pressed ball, and a handle fixed to the gate for actuating it.

Signed by me at Syracuse, N. Y., this 16th day of January, 1923.

AUGUST KOENIG. 

